Growing Pains
by Sokka's Fan-Lawyer
Summary: *Spoilers for Book 1-as if everyone hadn't seen it already* Basically, the emotional fallout of Mako and Korra getting together with Bolin and Mako in particular-for there will/would be casualties, there is no doubt about it;but is there hope for amends? Sorry if the characters are a bit OOC;it's my first Legend of Korra fic.Depending on demand,I may do a chapter with Asami.


**Hi. After watching the finale and thinking about it more, the more I wondered about how the others would take the news of Mako and Korra's pairing up at the end of the book. There would have to be some kind of emotional aftermath, even if it wasn't touched on in the actual series (yet), so here's how I think Bolin would take it, while also factoring in some details of Book Two: Spirit, that have been revealed so far. Enjoy and please forgive me if the characters seem a bit OOC—it's my first time writing the Korra cast.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Legend of Korra, otherwise Bolin wouldn't've been screwed over so much (the Luigi to Mako's Mario, if you will, except no Princess Daisy).**

…

Bolin stared at the crack in the gym's wall. It hadn't been there before, nor would it remain for long; thanks to his earthbending, it would be an easy fix. With a grunt, he decided to leave it and turned to the bench press, despite the fact his sleeveless white shirt was already drenched with sweat. He may not have spotter, given that no sane Pro Bender would be working out at this early hour, but that didn't stop him. Was it 3 am? 5? Bolin had long since lost track; he just couldn't care less right now.

With a dismissive glance at the shattered earth disc lying in pieces at the foot of the cracked wall, the earthbender bent down to pick up some weights to put on the bench press; the metal disc's resounding clacks as they collided with each other resounded throughout the empty workout room. He hissed as he laid his back on the cool bench. _I need to be stronger…_, he thought as he grasped the weighted bar above his (gorgeous) face. _So strong…so strong that I…I won't lose again. Not to _him_, not anyone._

The burn felt good as he lifted the bar up and down; it was easy to lose himself in the rhythmic motions of the act. He breathed in and out with each one, as he rasped out each repetition. "One…two…three…fou—ow, ow…sweat in my eye—r, five…okay, now my hair's getting in my eye…ow. Hey Pabu! Towel!" The Fire Ferret glanced out from his hidey hole by the weights and stared at the sweaty earthbender. "Come on Pabu! What kind of trainer are you supposed to be? What happened to teamwork, buddy?" The ferret shook its head and went back to sleep. Bolin scowled and set the bar down. "You suck! You know what, I'll just get it myself." Before Bolin could get to his feet though, a white towel slammed into his face and obscured his vision.

"Will that work?"

Bolin scowled and crossed his arms. "I'll have you know I'm glaring at you."

"The towel seems to be taking the brunt of it."

"That's just what I want you to think—you'll feel shameful and uncomfortable the second I take off this evil blindfold." With a sigh, Bolin's visitor reached out and removed the offending towel from his face. "Seriously Mako—you feel it yet?"

His older brother rolled his eyes. "Bo, I've lived with you for how many years now? Your glare doesn't work against me, remember? Older brother immunity." Mako smiled, but it faded a little as he toyed with his trademark red scarf. There was an unspoken tension in the room, and Bolin's insistent glare wasn't helping. "…Okay, okay…I feel uncomfortable now; you win." Silence. "Look, Bolin, we've been worried. You haven't come back to Air Temple Island in a week…."

"I've been around, checking in friends…." Bolin's glare softened a bit and he turned his gaze to the stone floor. "You know, Pema—that's Tenzin's wife's name, right?—Lin, Asami…." He noticed Mako shift a little awkwardly at the mention of her. "You still haven't talked to her?" The earthbender gestured to Pabu, who reluctantly nodded and made his way over to Bolin. As the ferret was crawling up Bolin's leg, Mako coughed.

"No, not really—not since the South Pole."

"You know she's taking over her dad's company, right?" Mako nodded. "Yeah, apparently she's trying to reinvent the company or something to keep up with Cabbage Corp and escape her father's reputation—she talked a lot but I didn't get most of it; still, as usual for my awesomeness, I was the perfect listener, I promise." He got to his feet and patted Pabu on the head while the ferret worked his way around the earthbender's neck. "It worked out—she promised that Future Industries would continue to sponsor our team. The Fire Ferrets are good to go!" Even Bolin could tell how stiff his enthusiasm seemed.

Mako continued to toy with his scarf, which tipped off to Bolin that some bad news was coming. Sure enough, Mako began, "Bo…we have some bad news…." He took a breath. "We can't be a part of the Fire Ferrets anymore."

"What?" Bolin blinked. _He couldn't have just said that_. "You're joking, right? Why can't we be the Fire Ferrets anymore? Do you have some new team idea or something? What's wrong with this one?" Bolin's voice got louder with each question.

Mako raised his hands up a I-come-in-peace gesture. "Well, it's not you that's the problem; it's me….and Korra." _Oh…now it all makes sense._ "You see, I have a new job now, one that'll earn us twice—no, three times as much as my old one at the factory. Police Chief Lin asked me…asked me to join the force." Bolin gapped. "I'll be bringing down the Triads and making a difference in the City…but the hours are strict; I won't have the time to do both…." He looked at Bolin's face. "You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah…I get it." Bolin tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "And I take it Korra….?

"Avatar stuff, yeah." _But I'll bet she'll still have plenty time for you, won't she?_ Silence resumed. "But I'm sure you'll be able to find two other benders…."

"Sure, why not? I'll just put an ad in the paper, hold interviews, the whole nine yards—piece of cake."

Mako sighed. "Look, Bolin, I'm sorry, okay? But I can't pass up this opportunity; the money will help us and I'll be helping make the City safer for you."

"Which 'us' are you talking about? You and me? Or you and Korra?"

His older brother blinked at the venom in Bolin's question. "Both. We're a team, remember? Team Avatar?"

"Okay, but what about Asami? Isn't she apart of Team Avatar too?"

"Of course she is!" Mako retorted.

"Well then, why haven't you talked to her yet?" Bolin asked, his arm crossed. He saw Mako's flustered expression and sighed. "Look Mako…you hurt her. Bad." Mako winced but didn't say anything. "Her father had just betrayed her, and then you? Even I know that's not cool. And do you know what the worst part is? You broke up with her but never told her to her face—you didn't even notice, did you?" Mako looked at the floor, his expression a little pained at the thought of Asami's pain. "Is it any wonder she hasn't contacted you? Do you really think that she's gonna want to be a part of the same Team as both you and Korra right now?"

"No…I guess not." Mako walked over to the bench press and sat down next to Bolin and sighed. "I wouldn't want to either."

"But Mako…the only one who can set things right is you; you know that, right?" Bolin said quietly.

Mako stared at the stone ground in thought, then nodded after a few seconds of thought. "You're right, Bo…." He shook his head and scratched the back of his head. "I'll go talk to her first thing in the morning." Bolin nodded, but kept his arms crossed. Mako looked up and glanced at his brother. "So is that why you haven't been home? To get my attention over the Asami issue?"

Despite his normally fun nature, Bolin felt a quick surge of anger. _Does he really not know?_ "No, that wasn't the whole story…." Mako gave his brother a concerned glance as he noticed the change in tone. "Asami wasn't the only one you guys hurt, you know."

Understanding immediately fell over Mako's face. "Oh Bo…" He reached out to put his hand on his brother's shoulder, but Bolin just shrugged it away and stood up. "Listen…we didn't mean to hurt you…."

"But you did." Bolin scowled. "You, who specifically told me not to go after her, that she 'wasn't girlfriend material', as you put it. Seems like you changed your mind pretty fast."

"It wasn't like that!"

"Then what the hell was it like, Mako?" Bolin slumped a little while Pabu gave him a concerned look. "You knew I was in love with her."

"So was I—I just wasn't at first. People don't fall just instantly fall in love, Bo; emotions are complicated things—"

"Shut up!" Bolin snapped. Mako blinked in surprise but Bolin ignored him and kept going. "Sometimes people do, okay? And I was! I thought she was the most wonderful girl in the world an-and instead…she falls for you." He grabbed his head and winced, trying to ignore the small teardrops that were beginning to form. "She kisses you right in front of me…." His hands began to shake in rage. "Was she just using me to get to you? Is that it? Was she just leading me on? She didn't even let me and Asami comfort her when she lost her bending…what the hell is wrong with me?!

The shards from the shattered disc on the floor began to tremble as Bolin's emotional turmoil got worse. "How else should I have played it? I tried to be a nice guy; fun, you know? But apparently that's not what the girls want. Oh no, they want guys who apparently treat them like ostrich horse shit from day one." He glared at the disc and mentally hurled some of the shards into the wall. "Do you like that? Is that angsty and emotionally distant enough for you?" He screamed at the wall; Mako quickly stood up and patted Bolin on the back. "G-get off me; can't you see I'm trying to be a jerk here?"

"Bolin…you're the nicest guy I know…; you did nothing wrong. If Korra hadn't been so fixated on me, I'm sure that evening out would've worked…"

"Fixated on you? Ha!" Bolin shook his head bitterly. "Between Asami and Korra…Mako, I wasn't kidding when I said leave some for the rest of us humble mortals." He sighed again. "I-I just keep wondering why: what did I do wrong? Why couldn't I get the girl, when you already had a good one? How fair is that?"

"Bo…if she wasn't willing to accept your attempt because you were 'too nice', then she isn't worth it."

"Clearly you disagree." Bolin wiped his dripped nose and snorted. He shook off his brother's hand and returned to the bench. "I'm sorry Mako, but you're the last person I want to hear that from."

Mako looked down at his fallen hand and sighed. "I suppose I deserve that."

"Do you know why I haven't been home? Because I can't honestly handle seeing the two of you together." Mako winced; he had been worried that was the case. "Every time I see her, it just reminds me of all this hurt…then I found out that Pema was the one who told her to go after you even though you were already with Asami…it was just too much." He lifted his head and looked at his brother, his eyes watery. "It's just as well you can't play anymore—I don't think I could take it. At least now, you don't have to pretend to include me." Mako looked about to protest, but Bolin shook his head. "Don't try to deny it, Mako—calling us Team Avatar right now is a joke. Now, it's literally just you and Korra—there's no room for anyone else there. And you guys don't seem to mind the alone time, do you? Face it, Mako—you two are just as relieved about this as I am."

"You're wrong, Bolin." Mako gave his brother a steady look. "You're my brother and there will always be a place on my team for you."

"_Your_ team? Do you have any idea how arrogant you sound right now?" Bolin took a breath. "No Mako, this whole thing has taught me that I need to make my own team—I can't just be your sidekick forever. I just…can't keep losing to you. So I've been looking for my own place—I figure that I can use some our sponsor money to at least pay for our old room, now that this place is opening up again; at least until I can get a job of my own."

Mako stared at Bolin, his face a mask. "So you've made up your mind then?" Bolin nodded. Mako then did the damnedest thing: he smiled. "If that's what you want Bolin, fine." Silence fell for a few seconds. "You know Bo, you've really come a long way…. There are times when I forget that you're not only my kid brother, but a guy who fought for what was right, even though he was feeling all this. I'd rather fight the Triads singlehanded than deal with all that…so there you go; your first point." Bolin gapped; this hadn't been _quite_ the response he was expecting. He figured there'd be more either skipping with glee or tears and begging him not go.

Mako turned and walked towards the exit; when he reached the door, he paused and faced his brother. "I know that you may not believe a word I say right now—and I know you wouldn't necessarily be wrong for it—but believe me when I say that I'm proud of you, Bolin. You're growing up to become a better man than me…and I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled and walked to the door. He paused and called over his shoulder. "If you have a free day sometime, you should come by the Island—you know where to find me—then you could tell me all about this team of yours." With that, Mako left the room and began to climb up the stairs.

Bolin blinked and, in a dreamlike state, got up and left through the other exit. Five minutes later, he was back in their old room. He stared out at the lit up city and just looked. He knew that something significant had just happened, yet the city seemed unchanged. No, that wasn't right—for the first time, the city held possibilities for him, for his own life.

"Mako's really proud of us, Pabu…." Bolin smiled quietly in the darkness. He squinted out into the distance and could swear he begin to see the traces of sunrise.

Perhaps one day he could get Korra back….he dismissed the thought with sigh. After this, did he still want her?

He rested his hand in his hand as he continued to watch the sky. Yes, he decided, yes he did.

Growing up was not shaping up to be easy.

…

**That's it! I'm sorry if it was a bit crappy, but I'm trying to get more experience at this, so practice makes perfect. I may do another chapter that focuses on how Asami is taking the whole MakoXKorra thing but I'll be busy…if people want, I'll do it though.**

**So please review and let me know how I did. Thanks!**

**Please read and Review!**


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